One Two Three Four
by meriyaaat
Summary: So we have one questionable "we're just friends" relationship, two in denial teenagers with bottled up feelings for one another, and spending three months of summer in Gravity Falls after four years of not seeing each other. Huh. Aren't we in for a treat?
1. Chapter 1

**Summary** : So we have **one** questionable "we're just friends" relationship, **two** in denial teenagers with bottled up feelings for each other, and spending **three** months of summer in Gravity Falls after **four** years of not seeing each other. Huh. Aren't we in for a treat?

 **Author's notes** : I just finished watching the show a few days ago and I've been itching to write a DipperxPacifica fic so here it is! **Rated T** for language. Also, the characters might seem OOC but do keep in mind that the setting of this fic is five years after Weirdmageddon. It would be, well, weird if they still acted like their twelve-year-old selves.

Happy reading!

* * *

 _Well I know when you're around cause I know the sound  
I know the sound, of your heart  
-The 1975_

 **Chapter 1  
Dipper Pines**

I have always been fascinated with numbers. Whether it be telling the time, measuring the distance from point A to point B, or solving a Math problem. There's something calming and assuring about certainty and numbers gave me that. So what I don't understand, as I checked the car's GPS, is why the hell am I anything but calm?

 **Destination** : _Mystery Shack, Gravity Falls, Oregon_  
 **ETA:** _21 minutes_

I released a sigh as I loosened my grip on the steering wheel.

 _Calm down, Pines. You've been going to Gravity Falls for the past five years and you've always been excited. BE. EXCITED._

I gulped. Okay, that didn't help.

21 minutes. 1,260 seconds.

Something caught my eye and I checked my rear view mirror to find that the car behind me kept on flashing its headlights. Less than three seconds later, my phone was ringing.

I rolled my eyes before answering. "What is it now, Mabel?"

" _I should be asking you that_ ,"I heard her voice say through the car's speakers. We both decided set up our phones to our cars' stereos before we left California since it was more convenient than pressing your phone against your ear while driving. " _Mind telling me why you're driving slower than usual_?"

"I don't drive slow."

" _Yeah, you do. I knew I should've been the one to lead this stupid convoy_."

"Mom and dad specifically asked _me_ to drive first since you might, I don't know, get yourself killed because you drive like a maniac," I explained.

She laughed. " _At least I don't drive like an old woman._ "

"Hey!" I ended up smiling.

" _Seriously though, are you okay?_ "

"Why would you think otherwise?" I asked curiously. "Oh shit, you think we're finally getting that twin telepathy thing?"

" _Seventeen years too late, don't you think?_ " There was a pause. " _Waddles says you're crazy and that you're avoiding my question_." How she managed to drive with her pet pig for hours, I have no idea.

"You're the crazy one," I answered and mentally debated whether or not I should tell her.

Mabel must have grown impatient due to the long silence, that or we finally flipped the switch to our twin telepathy shazam because she said, " _Spit it out already_."

"Fine," I conceded. "I just feel like something's going to happen. A sixth sense maybe."

" _Whoa._ " After our first summer in Gravity Falls, we've learned to always trust each other even if it's just a quote feeling unquote. " _A good thing or a bad thing?_ " She added.

"I don't know. A little bit of both?" I answered as we passed the _Welcome to Gravity Falls_ sign. "Or it might just be my lack of sleep." Nothing out of the ordinary has happened since the Weirdmageddon in Gravity Falls. By out of the ordinary I mean, end of the world-ish vibes, unless you count global warming. The small town still had its fair share of supernatural occurrences but not as extreme as before.

There was silence on the other end of the line. I raised an eyebrow and checked my rear view mirror to check if Mabel's car was still following me. "Mabel? Still there?"

" _Oh!_ " Then followed by fits of laughter I've gone accustomed to. " _Sorry. I was nodding my head_ ," she said in between her laughs. " _If something is up, Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford would have told us already don't you think?_ "

"Yeah, I guess so."

" _Either way, we'll find out when we get there. Shrug it off for now, little brother_."

I groaned. "Five minutes, Mabel. You're older by _just_ five minutes."

" _A lot can happen in that span of time, baby bro. Don't belittle those five minutes_."

I grinned. Well this is rare. "Words of wisdom by Mabel Pines, everybody."

" _Thank you, thank you._ "

The call ended a minute later and once again I checked the GPS, which was pointless since I already knew the way.

 **Destination** : Mystery Shack, Gravity Falls, Oregon  
 **ETA:** 11 minutes

 _Calm the fuck down, Pines._

* * *

I was getting the bags from Mabel's trunk when a voice said, "See? Nothing out of the ordinary." She took a deep breath. "Nothing like the smell of unicorn poop among others. Yep, we're in Gravity Falls alright."

I turned to look at my sister who was facing the Mystery Shack. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she finally realized how hot the summer heat was because the finally stopped wearing those sweaters of hers but instead she wore a gray shirt with the words " _Hogwarts Alumni_ " printed on it and a pair of jeans. Since the voyage of our great uncles on the Atlantic Ocean ended two years ago, Soos gladly gave the management back to Grunkle Stan. Soos said that he had enough experience to start up his own little business in town. Nonetheless, Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford's absence in Gravity Falls didn't stop Mabel and me from spending our summer vacations here. It became some sort of a tradition for us. Soos was kind enough let us stay at our usual room up in the attic during that time.

I nodded at her direction before I stared back at the bags that she brought. "Damn, woman. How many years are you planning on staying here?"

Mabel looked at me as if I spoke another language. "It's just three duffel bags and a backpack."

"I only brought one duffel."

Mabel rolled her eyes and waved me off. "You go on ahead. I gotta go call Grenda and Candy. We're headed to the pool later," she said and gave out a little squeal. "Plus I think Waddles must have wandered off again."

"You just want me to bring all of your things to the Shack."

She gave me a sheepish look. "Perks of having a servant! Oh. Brother. I meant brother."

"Ha," I gave out single laugh. "Such a comedian."

* * *

I don't know what came over me but I decided to carry all of our bags so that I'd only make one trip. Four duffel bags, one backpack.

"Smart decision, Dipper," I said to myself as I huffed at the steps that lead to the front porch. Beads of sweat were alread rolling down on the sides of my face. My arms were starting to ache while my legs were already shaking. _I need to start working out again._ What the hell did Mabel pack, anyway? Her bags weighed a ton. I felt like the Titan god Atlas from Greek mythology.

Gurnkle Stan and Grunkle Ford were out of town until next week for God knows what and they forgot to leave a spare key for the house but they told us that the Shack was open, it had a new staff and all that since Wendy was in college and Soos has his own store, so that we should just let ourselves in through the gift shop's entrance.

I managed to reach out a hand towards the doorknob but the door was pulled open by someone from the inside startling me. And just like that all the bags I was carrying were on the floor. Damn it.

I caught a glimpse of a girl with light brown hair who opened the door from the inside before I crouched down and turned my attention to the bags once again. She must be the part of the new staff great uncle Stan was talking about.

I saw the girl's hand reaching for the backpack and the girl said, "Uhm… let me help you with that."

"It's alright. You don't have to-" I looked up and suddenly I forgot what I was supposed to say.

I blinked twice (maybe thrice?) to confirm that I wasn't seeing things. Her hair might be different but I'd recognize those dark blue eyes anywhere. I've spent most of my time looking at those eyes the following summer after the Weirdmageddon.

She didn't look surprised to see me. She actually looked like she was in a hurry to leave. But I knew she recognized me. We ended up staring at each other for I don't how long but she was the first to look away.

"I was just closing up. Stan told me you were coming. I planned on leaving the key under the mat," she mumbled as she played with the ends of her hair. Her _brown_ hair. Why isn't she blonde? Has this got something to do with what I told her before?

 _No. Get your head out of your ass, Dipper. She did not go back to her natural hair color just because you said four freaking years ago that it suited her better._

I cleared my throat, not sure what to say.

"Pacifica," I managed to blurt out. Her name sounded foreign to me even though I thought of her countless of times before. "I didn't know you were back."

It was only then that I realized that this was the first time we saw each other after four years. I straightened, bags completely forgotten and tried to comprehend what was going on. I stared at the girl in front of me, the girl whom I haven't seen in so long, who suddenly left during our second summer in Gravity Falls without even telling anybody.

The very same girl who happened to be my first kiss.

* * *

 **Additional a/n** : Feel free to tell me what you think and leave a review! :)

- _VCL, 4/15/16_


	2. Chapter 2

_Sick of all these people talking, sick of all this noise  
Tired of all these cameras flashing, sick of being poised  
-Halsey_

 **Chapter 2  
Pacifica Northwest**

I liked the way he said my name… his voice had gotten lower and he's pretty damn tall now too, about four or five inches taller than me. Plus I didn't know if it was possible for his hair to be curlier but hell, it was. And his-

 _Stop thinking about how he looks, Pacifica! Look away!_

I looked away.

Observations. I had one too many observations and I've seen only him for about a minute or so. Less even.

 _Relax. You knew that he was going to be here when you applied for the job._

The original plan was to avoid Dipper Pines at all cost, at least for a couple of days. That obviously didn't work. It was my dad's fault why I was currently stuck at Gravity Falls for the summer. He told me he had a surprise so of course I was ecstatic (more or less). It turned out to be one cringe worthy surprise. Since I only get to spend time with my dad during summer, because of the custody, he'd always book a trip somewhere out there and it'll be just the two of us (sometimes) for the next three months. I'd still be spending the majority months by myself trying my best to avoid my father which wasn't difficult since he'd rather spend his time at the vacation house and work since the business has been having its ups and downs ever since Bill Cipher, aka that stupid one eyed triangle whose voice sounds like it's been auto-tuned, decided to ruin everything. Every little god damn thing that was important to me.

"Pacifica?"

I returned my attention to the boy in front of me, surprised that I've spaced out. _He needs to stop saying my name._

I gave out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of my head. "Uhm, yeah. My dad wanted to spend the summer here."

He was looking at me so intently with his eyes all narrowed as if making sure that I wasn't a mirage. I wasn't sure if I liked it or not.

I thought posing in front of a camera was nerve-wracking but standing in front his gaze was ten times worse. My palms were starting to sweat and I didn't even realize that I was holding my breath.

Say. Something.

"So…" we both said at the same time.

 _Oh, great._ I was most probably blushing. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was something else.

Dipper shook his head and chuckled. "Well this is awkward."

I faked a smile, something that took a few years to master, and met his eyes. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." I took him in again which I told myself I shouldn't, but who cares. He was wearing a light blue shirt, khaki shorts and was paired with sneakers. He looked the same yet still very different. Same brown eyes, same annoying smile. His hair was cut short now, however he still had bangs that covered his birthmark. I couldn't help but notice how toned his limbs were, not in a super muscular kind of way, but muscles just the same. Yep, Dipper Pines had muscles.

 _I wonder if he has abs._

My eyes widened at the thought.  
 _  
STFU, NORTHWEST._

I wondered if _I_ looked different to him.

"You work at the Shack?" he asked.

I nodded. "I just started last week."

He clicked his tongue and nodded.

Silence.

Awkward. Silence.

It took me a moment to realize that I was blocking his way and that I might miss the last bus ride to town. I stepped forward abruptly which caused him to take a step back. "Sorry, I'm in your way. I should go. You must be exhausted from the drive."

For a second I thought he was going to stop me, but he checked his wrist watch and looked behind him to see that the sun was starting to set. "Right. I'll see you tomorrow or uhm, whenever I suppose."

I was about to wave a good bye when a voice from behind him said, "Wow. We've been here for five minutes and you're already flirting with the new staff. Good job, baby bro." A familiar brunette stood beside Dipper and she tried (and failed) to put and arm around his shoulder because of the height difference. She still hadn't recognize me by this point since she held out her free hand and introduced herself. "Hi! I'm Mabel. Don't mind my brother he can be…" her voice trailed off and her head started to tilt to the side, a confused look was plastered on her face. " _Pacifica?_?"

I wasn't sure how to respond. Hug? Cheek to cheek kiss? I mean, I used to be friends with Mabel, good friends even, after we were, you know, "enemies". But she's Dipper's sister, _twin_ sister, and what I did few summers back would make you question the status of our friendship. With that in mind, I simply stood there awkward as ever I bet my mother would not be proud at my stance. 'Watch your posture, darling,' is what she'd probably say.

"Yeah. It's me."

"Oh my God," Mabel whispered, her shock was clear as day. And to my surprise she left her brother's side and gave me a quick hug. Once she let me go she said, "You're here. You're in Gravity Falls."

I smiled. A genuine one this time. Mabel Pines had that effect on people. That, or she'll annoy you to death but most the time it's the former. "Yes, I am."

"And you work for Grunkle Stan."

"Yeah, I started a week ago," I repeated my answer to her.

"Why the hell are you working for Grunkle Stan?" was her follow up question.

I managed to laugh. "I needed to do something while I'm here and the Shack was the only one hiring."

"Ah, you had no choice then. Understandable. How are you? It's been so long."

I didn't answer right away because I wasn't exactly sure how I was. I decided to stick to the usual. "I'm alright," I said. I was about to ask her the same question when I noted something different about her. I wasn't even thinking when I blurted it out. "You don't have braces anymore!"

Mabel beamed up at me, showing off her pearly whites. "I got them out before the trip actually. It feels strange to not have them anymore. I feel like my teeth are naked," she joked. "You though! You dyed your hair brown! I didn't recognize you at first."

I said, "It's my natural hair color," the very same moment Dipper blurted out, "It's her natural hair color."

I paused and our gazes locked once again and I remembered how this used to happen a lot before.

 _Before. Before. Before._

Not now, not at the moment, not presently, because I messed it all up for the two of us.

Mabel looked back and forth between Dipper and me. She pointed at Dipper. "How did you… _oh. Right_. Oh God, how could I forget." She laughed nervously. How to make a situation even more uncomfortable that usual? Add Mabel Pines to the equation. "Well, this isn't awkward at all. Nope. Not weird whatsoever."

See what I mean?

"You can say that again," we both said in _freaking unison_ once more.

God, help me.

"Oooookay then." Mabel clasped her hands together as if trying to figure a way out of this mess. She then looked at Dipper with nothing but determination. "Baby bro, the bags, yes?"

"Ah. Right." He didn't even mind that his sister used the nickname I knew he hated. Dipper started grabbing one bag after the other. I tried not to stare at his biceps as he did so. _Tried_.

Well, that was probably my cue to leave. "I was just headed out as well."

Mabel looked at the parking space in front of the Shack. "Yeah?" she asked. I had a feeling I knew what she was going to say next. "Is someone gonna pick you up?"

She asked because the only cars that were parked were Dipper's and hers.

Maybe it was just me, but I felt Dipper's eyes on me. He still hasn't carried the bags inside yet. Of course they were going to assume that I own a car and that I drove it to work. Duh. But yeah, well, I _do_ have a car. I just left it at my mom's place, on the other side of the country. Or maybe they thought I still had a chauffeur. Nope. Nada.

"No." I shrugged. Act like it's not a big deal and they'll think it's not a big deal. "I'm taking the bus home."

"The _bus_?" Mabel was trying to mask her surprise. "I mean, oh, okay."

I wanted to know what they were thinking but it was silly. I was sick and tired of being judged, of being pitied to the point that it started to get annoying. Of course the first thing that popped inside people's head when they hear my surname were dollar signs. But that was before the events of Weirdmageddon. That was five long years ago. After that, the Northwest Manor was sold, we moved to a smaller house, my parents started fighting over the pettiest things, a year later they split up, the custody was granted to my mother since well, the court thought that because she was the mother, they assumed she could take care of me, but neither of my parents could so why even bother with custody, right? We then moved to New York, mom got married _less than a fucking year_ after to some politician, we moved to Washington DC, and more shittier (yes, I know, more shittier is grammatically incorrect but I'm trying to make a point so never mind) things have happened. And just when things have started to calm down, just when I've started to get the hang of all the changes, dad and his little surprise had to ruin everything.

I was so engrossed in my little ranting spree inside my head that l was startled by the sound of fingers snapping. It was Mabel's. "Earth to Pacifica? HELLO?"

To my utter embarrassment, I leapt in shock. "Sorry," I said, trying to regain my composure. "I spaced out. What were you saying?"

The twins looked concerned and it was making me uncomfortable. This was the last thing that I wanted.

"I was offering you a ride," Mabel said. "I'm headed to town anyway. I'm having dinner with Grenda and Candy to catch up."

Dipper, who was still standing there with two duffels, one on each hand and the others were still on the wooden floor, suddenly broke his silence. "I thought you were going to the pool?"

"We re-scheduled. It was getting late," she answered. She turned back to me a second later. "So? Want to catch a ride? I promise I won't kill you."

I should've declined. But for whatever reason, I didn't. I grinned, honestly thankful that she asked. I hated riding that smelly old bus. "Sure. Thanks."

* * *

We've been on the road for a few minutes now and since then I've told Mabel the directions to my dad's house and Mabel turned the radio on but she didn't like the songs any of the stations were playing so she plugged her phone in and a Disney song started to play. Followed by another. And another one. She had a Disney playlist. Why am I not surprised?

I was bothered by the fact that she hasn't started a conversation yet since Mabel Pines _loved_ to talk. I was starting to think that she was actually regretting to give me a ride or that it was a wrong decision for me to have accepted. Has she forgiven me for what I did to her brother? To her? Should _I_ bring it up?

"Is that really your natural hair color?" Mabel asked, breaking the silence.

 _Thank goodness._

"Yeah," I answered as _Hakuna Matata_ started to play. I absentmindedly tugged my hair. It wasn't as long as it used to since I chopped all the blonde off and had to be really patient for brown to grow back.

"Dipper and I used to argue whether you were really blonde, you know? Even after…" she paused, "that summer. I had no idea that he actually knew."

Of course I knew which summer she was referring to.

I made him promise not to tell anyone.

I didn't know he actually kept it after all these years.

It happened four years ago, late June or early July, I couldn't recall. But I knew it was two weeks after that silly argument we had that ended with one of us kissing the other.

We were seated on a bench by the lake. Side by side, our arms touching, and he was trying to hold my hand without being an awkward almost fourteen-year-old boy and I was trying not to notice his efforts. I swear I had the butterflies. I never admitted it out loud since I was still confused and partly in denial at the time. I was hanging out with Dipper Pines. And I was enjoying every minute of it. _Has the world gone mad?_

He managed to slip his fingers through mine and I looked at our hands linked together and I liked it. _I hoped my hand wasn't too sweaty,_ I kept on thinking. We sat there in silence, enjoying each other's company.

Oh wow, if somebody told me a year ago that I'd be spending so much time with Dipper Pines, I wouldn't believe them. I would have probably laughed and be grossed out about it too.

Ha. Jokes on me then.

Dipper gave my hand a little squeeze and turned to look at me. "You know, I've been meaning to ask… why do you have a bandanna on? You've been sporting it for a few weeks now."

Maybe I was enjoying the moment way too much because I leaned closer to him and answered his question truthfully. "Because my roots are starting to show."

I felt him freeze up beside me. "Your _what_?"

I realized my mistake a second too late. I immediately let go of his hand and instinctively checked if my purple bandanna was still wrapped around head securely.

It was.

But just like that, the moment was gone.

I couldn't take it back. I bit the insides of my cheek and clasped my hands together. "Don't tell anyone. _Please_."

He didn't respond. Instead he had this expression on his face that I couldn't fathom. I immediately admitted in a defensive tone, "What you said before was right. I _do_ have fake blonde hair. I bleach my hair blonde and I usually touch up my roots the moment they start to grow but I've been lazy lately so I ended up with the bandanna." I didn't tell him that the reason why I've gone lazy to do so in the morning was because I was always excited to spend the day with him. He didn't need to know that. Dipper had this confused look on his face and I was so embarrassed. He opened his mouth to speak but I beat him to it. "Come on then. Have a good laugh."

Dipper clamped his mouth shut at my last statement, clearly taken aback. A few beats later, he asked in a wary tone, "Why… why would I laugh?"

It wasn't a rhetorical question. He really did want me to answer. I chose my words carefully, "Because a lot of people have been suspecting that my hair isn't real? C'mon, you even said it yourself during the party last year. And _now_ you do know it's fake."

I wanted to make him understand why this was such a big thing for me. He'd most probably think that it's stupid but to hell with it. "I've had blonde hair since I was five."

" _What?_ "

I held up my hand, the hand that was holding his less than a minute ago. "Let me finish first."

Dipper wanted to say something different but instead, he nodded slowly in response.

I took a deep breath and continued explaining, "I know, I was young. I'm _still_ young. It's insane. It _still_ is. But my mom was the one who suggested it. She said I looked pretty with lighter hair and that it suited me more, so I went with it. And since I was home schooled and didn't have any close friends or go out as much, we both decided to make people believe that I was naturally blonde…" my voice trailed off, making me realize how messed up the whole thing sounded when voiced out.

I wished I could say that it started as a joke between my mother and I but it wasn't. It was all planned. "And being a five-year-old hearing your own mother say that you looked _pretty_ with lighter hair? I'm not sure if her choice of words were wrong but she said pretty. Not prettier. So did that mean that…"

I couldn't even finish the sentence. There were certain childhood memories that you simply retained in your brain and my mom impliedly telling me that I wasn't pretty with my natural hair color, the color I inherited from _her,_ was something that never left me.

So blonde hair it was. For almost nine years. More than half of my life.

I stood to leave, I've embarrassed myself enough already. I didn't care if Dipper no longer wanted to spend time with me. Or maybe I did.

 _I don't know anymore._

He grabbed hold of my wrist and said my name and told me to stay. I couldn't face him. My shoulders sagged and I was on the verge of tears. _Don't cry over your stupid hair, Pacifica._ "You win," I managed to say. "Laugh all you want, tell everybody."

I heard him stand.

"Look at me, Pacifica," he calmly spoke and when I didn't, he let go if my wrist and placed his hands on my shoulders and slowly spun me until we were face to face. He was still about the same height as me, maybe taller by half an inch, so I still had a great view of his eyes. Dang, those eyes.

"I'm not going to laugh, okay? I don't care about your hair color. It could be red, black, blonde, brown, pink, or even all the colors of the rainbow. It wouldn't matter. What would matter is what _you_ think. Not what your mother thinks."

"But last year-"

"But last year is last year. It's in the past. It's not _now_. Things are different now... you know that right? I know what I said and I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. And I won't tell anybody. I promise."

Dipper Pines had a way with words. And I swear, if he kept this going, I'd probably be a goner.

I nodded. "I'm sorry too. For overreacting."

And before I changed my mind, I reached for the back of my head, undid the knot of my bandanna and slipped it off. I wasn't sure how much of my natural hair color was already showing, probably a few inches, but I do know it's the longest my roots have ever been without me bleaching them. I used do a touch up almost every week before. The first sight of brown hair? Bleach and tone right away.

I managed to find Dipper's eyes and he was looking at me intently.

"Light hazel," Dipper said as brushed a few strands of my hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. "Who would've thought?" There was a slight pause before he asked, "Pacifica?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm about to kiss you now."

The butterflies in my stomach went berserk.

"Okay."

And he did.

And I liked it.

A lot.

The sound of the car's honking pulled me back to reality. I jumped from my seat and mentally cursed myself for spacing out. Again.

A song from the movie _Tangled_ was playing through the stereo.

Mabel gave me a sideways glance. "Sorry. But the car in front of us is driving _super slow_. Slower than Dipper and that's saying something."

We were already in the town proper which meant that we were near dad's house. I took notice of the said vehicle which had a 'Student Driver' sticker on it and grinned. "You're being mean. That's a student driver." I couldn't hide the amusement in my voice.

Mabel was smiling behind the wheel. "Yeah, well, he or she sucks."

"C'mon, you were probably like that during Driving School."

"Nope. I was such a pro."

We both laughed until the poor student driver in front us took a left and Mabel finally rejoiced. For the rest of the drive, Mabel ended up updating me with the latest Gravity Falls gossip ever since I've been away and I couldn't help but think how much I envied how carefree she was and how much I did not deserve this friendship.

* * *

 **Author's notes** : Sorry for the late update! Been very busy with uni lately. I also wanted to thank those who have reviewed/favorited/followed 1234! It means a lot to me! Aaaaand omg, have you guys watched Civil War already? BECAUSE OH MY GOD, YOU SHOULD. IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

Don't forget to leave a review! (only if you want, totally not forcing you lol)

Until the next update!

-VCL (5/2/16)


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